Dozens of Families Suddenly Left Waiting
PORTLAND, Ore. — For a dozen Portland families, what was supposed to be a new beginning has abruptly turned into disappointment. Home Forward, the public housing authority for Multnomah County, has paused the issuance of new Housing Choice Vouchers, leaving families who were promised assistance this fall without the help they were counting on.
The vouchers, funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), are designed to cover a portion of a family’s rent. But Home Forward says the program has now entered “shortfall” status due to insufficient federal funding.
Rising Housing Costs and Stalled Federal Support
Home Forward Chief Operating Officer Ian Davie explained that the pause stems from Congress’s failure to increase funding for the program this year, even as housing costs in Portland continue to rise sharply.
“In the Portland region, we’ve seen the costs of housing and utilities increase dramatically for families and have seen similar increases in Home Forward’s rent subsidy costs,” Davie said. “On top of this, families need assistance for longer periods of time to achieve stability, so we have fewer vouchers becoming available to new households.”…